Medway Basketball Association Update June 2020
As the current lockdown situation starts to ease it is time for an update on the MBA activities and a few other announcements
Season 2019 / 2020
The league programme is closed with no more games to be played.
In Division One, although there were only a few games to be played, Dartford Sharks had completed their programme and could not be overtaken.
Therefore the Division One winners for 2019/2020 are Dartford Sharks.
In Division Two there were a large number of games that could not be completed. Oakwood Saints led the table and after due consideration using the FIBA classification system they remain as leaders.
Therefore the Division Two trophy is to be awarded to Oakwood Saints for 2019/2020
The Cup and Plate competitions were left with just the finals to be played. It is still proposed to play these two finals once this becomes possible subject to Basketball England’s go ahead for the resumption of play. Ideally this would proceed the start of any 2020/2021 competitions (and hopefully still within 2020!!)
The Division One Play Offs competition for 2019/2020 is cancelled. No trophy will be awarded.
The Rosebowl handicap competition for 2019/2020 is cancelled. No trophy will be awarded.
Annual General Meeting
The MBA AGM scheduled for Monday 6th July 2020 will not go ahead. At this time it is not possible to establish a new date for this meeting although it will be before the start of next season’s competitions.
Web Site
The web site has not been updated since the lockdown started whilst awaiting decisions as to the end of the 2019/2020 season. There will soon be a few amendments taking place in preparation for the return to play.
Return to Play
The resumption of MBA competitions remains without a clear timetable. Basketball England has issued a Return to Play Guidance document which can be found along with supporting information at the following website:
https://www.basketballengland.co.uk/news/basketball-england-launch-return-to-play-guidance/
This is a very thorough document that is being updated (date wise) as the government announces movement through the different stages. We have just moved to level 3. There are significant implications for every club and every player so it is important that clubs are aware of the content.
MBA will be led by the BE guidance.
Even when conditions for return to play are reached clubs should be aware that their venues (mainly schools) will not be following Basketball England’s guidance and may well have far more restrictive conditions before they allow community groups, such as basketball clubs, to resume the use of their premises. It is strongly advised that clubs make themselves aware of their venue’s timetable and conditions for the resumption of use.
Teams will need to consider whether they can fulfil away fixtures given the no/limited car sharing instruction in place in levels 2 & 1
Season 2020/2021
There are so many unknowns at this stage that it will not be possible to advise clubs of the arrangements for next season at this time. We will however start to collect club information prior to the AGM.
Basketball England South East Region
At its recent AGM (via Zoom) the newly energised SE Region Committee announced their wish to significantly improve the communication of the region’s activities. There are also plans to develop regional competitions at all levels (junior, female & male) and courses for officials and ccoaches. There are also plans to use an app to find referees and table officials for games if required. In order to stay in touch they are asking clubs, coaches and officials to submit their details. (This is not something MBA can do for you). The following extract is from a recent e-mail from SE Region RMC:
If you haven’t already, please help us keep in touch by completing our online forms…
Club: https://bit.ly/3dRE2KJ
Coach: https://bit.ly/3cIT6Zn
Official: https://bit.ly/2RqgG5x
As the South East region of Basketball England we have been provided with basic details and would very much appreciate the additional details so that we can keep in touch with local news and our development plans.
If you have any questions, please email office@basketballsoutheast.co.uk
Stay Safe
MBA Committee June 2020